Adia, Scientist

Finished and Betrayed

Cevit Ion showed me his little brother, Jirris at his birth. Oh, how cute he was! With a full head of straight, dark hair.

Another memory opened that made me shudder. He was injured, the night Elshar Zheiea was taken. His Thordes friend tried to get him to his ship in Prov Nine. Heden knows he is your ba. Rish Hai is also a target.

Cevit Ion startled. How can he know?

He has help from the Second Level. Worse, your fa was killed trying to save them.

His sorrow nearly pressed me to the floor. I could not stop, but I showed him herbs that came from higher levels than that, and Ry'nao listened. What of sources? How do they come to ours?

Slaver ships in the Eighth, from Esteerr. Ryee can befriend King Lyyyrah and much of it will stop. Tch'Zbbatr was once on the Third Level with Bisillipia and some tech cannot be Taken. What is a tech level?

I will explain later. Now, concentrate on your work, Madame Rayaline. I help you to see home again.

But, I must appear on Therapy Square. At sunssets. I showed him. Outside, simulants did a major refit of EDs. People watched this, and many were taken to DF.

I worked faster. Ao~ helped me, and Oesha, Leader of ScSv on Ye~, helped Ryee. Others helped Vonn and Derees. We brought stares from the visiting scientists. A very few also worked as fast as we.

Ryee wrote progs to direct the simulants, and soon we ported quite a supply to Conventional Fuels. He made an army of new simulants that looked like people. Holosims. My mother discovered this way to give intelligence to holos of people's ancestors. One near me was my grandfather, who took me on ships at times when I was little. He smiled as he mixed. She used holos of him stored in old clothes in her closet. Once, we played them often.

Near Derees was his father, Rees and his grandfather Harries. He enjoyed seeing them.

Other departments had questions about the new fuel, and we ran analyses to try to answer them.

Vonn and Derees had to repeat a good bit of Ossy's, and Citsa's, work for their report. Luckily, Ryee and I were able to help by then. Ryee wrote progs to automate much of it.

Vonn prided himself on keeping under budget. Ossy's sloppy progging created a deficit because of all the maintenance on the mixing chamber. Pragate oft used our section as an example to other sections, not six months ago.

But, Ryee wrote so many progs, the department worked out the deficit. Especially with the selfrepair prog for all the equip.

Vonn shook his hand. "Thank you very much, Ryee. I will remember you in the Traders Circle. My tutor is taking me to Elshar Mashai soon, so I can try for my blue robes. Director Pragate said, when we come back, no one but leaders will trade. See this document." He waved, and a long document appeared.

Ryee touched his head and hummed. That brought a wide smile.

Finally, all the automation was in place to fuel all of the ships. Vonn and Derees waved down their displays.

Pragate read all of our reports. Took a deep breath, with a smile. After his sleep, he looked alert and no trembling. "Oh, it is nice not to have to use a breather. Mrs. Weiss gave us a great gift.

"But, Madame Rayaline, you saved us all. We shall gather at Therapy Square now to board ships. There is enough fuel for us to load all of our buildings and farms into Ryee's colony ships. Our colony shall be self-supporting on them. Yours, also."

Ryee nodded. "King Theaspaura offered for all of us to come to Alb Seer. We can orbit there safely until our star system is moved into place. Biehshah makes preparations now. Work on the Nefcot Ring commences. By the time we reach Alb Seer, Nefcot will supply energy for all the worlds of the Seven. Even Elshar Mashai will have tech."